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Emeritus Professor of Philosopy, University of Cambridge

Onora O'Neill writes on ethics and political philosophy, with particular interests in questions of international justice, in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and in bioethics. Her books include Faces of Hunger: An Essay on Poverty, Development and Justice (1986), Constructions of Reason: Exploration of Kant's Practical Philosophy (1989), Towards Justice and Virtue (1996), Bounds of Justice (2000), Autonomy and Trust in Bioethics (2002), A Question of Trust (the 2002 Reith Lectures) and Rethinking Informed Consent in Bioethics (jointly with Neil Manson, 2007). She currently works on practical judgement and normativity, on questions of trust and accountability in public life and on the ethics of communication (including media ethics) while continuing to work on Kant’s philosophy.

She was Principal of Newnham from 1992 to 2006, and teaches in the Faculty of Philosophy in Cambridge. She is currently President of the British Academy, chairs the Nuffield Foundation and is Professor of Philosophy in Cambridge. She been a member of and chaired the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Human Genetics Advisory Commission. She has worked on a number of reports on bio-medical issues, including recently the Kings Fund Inquiry into the Safety of Maternity Services. She was created a Life Peer in 1999, sits as a crossbencher, served on the House of Lords Select Committees on Stem Cell Research, BBC Charter Review and currently Genomic Medicine.

She currently sits on the Medical Research Council and chairs the Equality and Human RIghts Commission.

Experience

  • –present
    Professor of philosophy, University of Cambridge

Honours

CBE; Peer